Chapter 580: A rough jade that needs careful carving
Outside Master Li's study, two wooden doors were ajar.
Gu Qingchen stopped and looked inside through the crack in the door.
There was no one in the study, but she saw the mess on the table at a glance.
The copy of "The Book of Filial Piety" that Master Li had thrown to the ground in anger was still lying quietly on the ground.
The pages of the book were scattered, and a few brushes and an inkstone were rolling around.
Gu Qingchen's heart was gripped again.
She pushed the door open and walked in quietly. Qian Zhenyun followed her, watching her every move nervously.
Gu Qingchen didn't say anything. She walked to the desk, squatted down, and carefully picked up the "Book of Filial Piety".
She used her sleeve to gently brush away the dust on the book, and then smoothed and closed the scattered pages one by one.
Then she picked up the brushes on the ground one by one and put them back into the pen holder.
She wanted to support the inkstone, but saw a pool of half-dried ink on the ground.
She thought about it, turned and ran to the corner of the study, where there was a basin and a towel.
She soaked the cloth, wrung it dry, ran back, knelt on the ground, and wiped the ink stain bit by bit.
Her movements were serious and focused.
Qian Zhenyun stood aside, watching her small figure kneeling on the ground, wiping the floor diligently.
Just then, a light cough was heard at the door.
Master Li stood at the door, looking at the scene inside the house, and was completely stunned.
He originally went to the headmaster to resign, saying that he was not talented enough and could not teach the daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo.
The headmaster comforted him for a long time and asked him to come back and calm down, and not to be shaken by the child's momentary impulse.
He was feeling very depressed and returned to his study, only to see this scene.
The "stubborn little donkey" who had made him so angry that he stormed off was now kneeling on the ground, using the sleeves of her brand new school uniform to laboriously wipe the floor that she had soiled.
When Gu Qingchen heard the voice, he froze and slowly turned around.
When she saw Master Li, her face turned red instantly, as if she had done something bad and was caught on the spot.
"Husband... Master." She stood up somewhat at a loss, still holding the wet cloth in her hand.
Master Li looked at her, then looked at the floor that she had wiped clean and the neatly arranged books. His eyes were complicated and he didn't know what to say for a moment.
Gu Qingchen lowered his head, his two small hands nervously twisting the cloth.
"Master," she mustered up her courage, raised her head, and spoke in a voice even softer than before under the sycamore tree, "I have figured it out."
Master Li raised his eyebrows, waiting for her next words.
"You're right. A private school isn't just a place to study, it's also a place to learn how to be a good person." Gu Qingchen's eyes were clear and sincere. "Yesterday, the student quoted from classics and seemed to have the upper hand, but in fact... in fact, he lost the foundation of learning."
She took two steps forward, stood in front of Master Li, and bowed deeply.
"I was wrong, please punish me, Master."
This flawless admission of guilt can touch the heart of a scholar more than any direct "I'm sorry".
Master Li looked at the little girl in front of him who lowered her head and had a respectful attitude. The depression in his heart dissipated unconsciously like clouds blown away by the spring breeze.
He tried to keep a straight face, but found that he couldn't keep his mouth straight.
This girl is truly a... monster that makes people both love and anger her.
"That's all." He finally spoke, a hint of a smile in his voice that he himself didn't even notice. "It's a great virtue to admit one's mistakes and correct them. Get up, the ground is cold."
Hearing this, Gu Qingchen suddenly raised his head and looked at him with sparkling eyes: "Master, you...you are not angry anymore?"
Master Li cleared his throat, tried to regain his serious expression, turned around and sat down behind the desk, picked up a book, and flipped through it casually.
"You made the study so wet, how can I not be angry?"
Having said that, the corner of his eyes kept falling on Gu Qingchen, and he couldn't hide the relief in his eyes.
Seeing this, Gu Qingchen immediately burst into laughter, stuffed the towel in his hand into Qian Zhenyun's arms, and ran to the desk happily.
"Master, don't be angry. I'll fan the floor dry for you right away!"
As she spoke, she picked up a palm-leaf fan on the table and fanned the ground vigorously. Her small figure was full of energy.
Master Li looked at her and finally couldn't help but laughed softly.
The daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion is indeed not an ordinary naughty girl, but a rough jade that needs to be carefully carved.
He thought that perhaps teaching such a student would be more interesting than teaching ten well-behaved students.
"Alright, alright, stop slapping me." Master Li waved his hand. "If you keep slapping me, my old bones will break apart."
Gu Qingchen stopped and stuck out his tongue: "Master, can I go back to the dormitory now?"
"Go." Master Li nodded. "Remember what I said today, and don't do it again."
"Yes!" Gu Qingchen responded, pulling Qian Zhenyun and running out, "Get out, let's go!"
Qian Zhenyun was dragged by her, turned around and bowed to Master Li, then ran out.
The two of them jogged along the way. Gu Qingchen was in a good mood, humming a tune that he had learned from somewhere, his voice clear and pleasant.
"Sister, what you said just now was really good." Qian Zhenyun followed her, his eyes full of admiration, "I didn't expect you to come up with so many reasons."
Gu Qingchen raised her chin proudly: "Of course! I've read a lot of books."
"But sister," Qian Zhenyun said with some worry, "will you really never talk back to the Master again?"
"Of course not!" Gu Qingchen patted his chest and promised, "I, Gu Qingchen, will keep my word and will never break it!"
The two walked into the yard chatting and laughing, but saw a group of people gathered in front of them, pointing at a child in the middle.
"A bastard like you, are you worthy enough to study here?"
"That's right, you're the bastard your mother gave birth to with someone else. Get out!"
"Look at your behavior. You're just a dog living under someone else's roof. How dare you pretend to be a scholar?"
Those words were so vicious that Gu Qingchen frowned.
She stopped and looked toward the crowd.
The boy surrounded in the middle was about the same age as her.
He was wearing a moon-white student uniform, the material looked good, and it was obvious that his family was not poor.
But he just stood there quietly, allowing those people to insult him. He neither refuted nor ran away, and he didn't even cry. He just hung his head with a wooden expression.
"Is this kid a fool?" Gu Qingchen muttered softly, "He's dressed so well, how come he can't even resist?"
Qian Zhenyun pulled her sleeve and said, "Sister, let's go. Don't meddle in other people's business."
But Gu Qingchen didn't move. She stared at the boy and always felt that something was wrong.
How could a normal child not react at all when being humiliated like this?
"Hey!" she suddenly shouted, "What are you doing?"
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